About Me
I have always had a houseful of pets, right from when I can first remember. The only time in my life I have never had a pet was when I went to university and lived on campus for the first two years, where no pets were allowed. It wasn’t long until I had a little kitten running around when I moved off campus…There were always at least two cats and one dog in our household, I couldn’t understand families who had no pets! I have had everything from a pug to larger dogs, and several cats, each with their own individual personality and quirks. I currently am the proud pet parent of three cats (one rather large and moody Ragdoll, a very timid tortie and a beautiful diluted calico) and two Bernese Mountain dogs!
And occasionally the old neighbour’s cat would come to visit several times a day before they moved. He would come in to play with the crew and stir up trouble, so we consider him an honorary house member who still visits on occasion! There are always adventures in our house, and we have also run the gamut in the challenges involved in owning pets, from training to litter box issues to feline diabetes and dental care…I have learned what toys stand up to over 200lbs of puppy tugging…and how to give pills to cranky cats…ear drops to grooming. As I type this my female Bernese Mountain dog Grace is trying not so gracefully to sprawl herself across my lap! So I’d like to share some of my experiences and adventures. Without further adieu meet the crew!
About Me
I have always had a houseful of pets, right from when I can first remember. The only time in my life I have never had a pet was when I went to university and lived on campus for the first two years, where no pets were allowed. It wasn’t long until I had a little kitten running around when I moved off campus…There were always at least two cats and one dog in our household, I couldn’t understand families who had no pets! I have had everything from a pug to larger dogs, and several cats, each with their own individual personality and quirks. I currently am the proud pet parent of three cats (one rather large and moody Ragdoll, a very timid tortie and a beautiful diluted calico) and two young Bernese Mountain dogs!
And occasionally the neighbour’s cat (several times a day) comes in to play with the crew and stir up trouble, so we consider him an honorary house member. There are always adventures in our house, and we have also run the gamut in the challenges involved in owning pets, from training to litter box issues to feline diabetes and dental care…I have learned what toys stand up to over 200lbs of puppy tugging…and how to give pills to cranky cats…ear drops to grooming. As I type this my female Bernese Mountain dog Grace is trying not so gracefully to sprawl herself across my keyboard! So I’d like to share some of my experiences and adventures. Without further adieu meet the crew!
Grace
Graceless Grace…I think that explains it all! Grace is 3.5 years old, a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog (no it’s not a St. Bernard!). I fell in love with the breed in my encounters over the years, and my research told me this was the dog breed for me and my daughter. She is a people dog. She spends more time sitting on people’s feet and soaking up attention at the dog park than she does playing with the other dogs. She is amazing with babies and toddlers as well and will adjust her energy to match (same with puppies!). This gal was a nightmare to train. She is exceptionally smart, sassy and stubborn. But she is an amazing dog, extremely loyal and loving…on her own terms although I’ve never seen her turn away from a belly rub. Lover of vacuums and hair dryers. And belly rubs…. especially belly rubs.
Grace
Graceless Grace…I think that explains it all! Grace is 14 months old, a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog (no it’s not a St. Bernard!). I fell in love with the breed in my encounters over the years, and my research told me this was the dog breed for me and my daughter. She is a people dog. She spends more time sitting on people’s feet and soaking up attention at the dog park than she does playing with the other dogs. She is amazing with babies and toddlers as well and will adjust her energy to match (same with puppies!). This gal was a nightmare to train. She is exceptionally smart, sassy and stubborn. But she is an amazing dog, extremely loyal and loving…on her own terms although I’ve never seen her turn away from a belly rub. Lover of vacuums and hair dryers. And belly rubs…. especially belly rubs.
Benson
Oh sweet loveable big Benson! Benson is my true gentle giant. He is a huge Bernese Mountain dog, 3 months younger than Grace. I got Benson because I noticed even with a dog walker twice a day that Grace was getting lonely during the day and thought I should get her a companion. Two puppies three months apart may not have been my smartest move but I wouldn’t change a thing! Benson is a mommy’s boy through and through. He is always at my feet and on my lap (at over 115lbs this can be fun). He has an abundance of energy, and I’ve never seen a dog his size hop and bounce the way he does before! He is exceptionally eager to please and was a breeze to train, which was a bit of a relief after Grace haha. He is also very protective of his family and house.
Bubbles
Bubbles is my oldest gal at the moment. She is an absolutely beautiful diluted calico with the clearest green eyes that look right into your soul. She is also the smallest of the group, but the shrewdest and wisest by far. She was the tiniest little kitten, about half the size of her brothers and sisters. One stroke of that baby soft fur was enough to capture my heart forever. It didn’t help that she snuggled right up to my two-year-old daughter at the time as well without using her claws once. The one thing about her is her absolute affinity for food…she is a fiend for her food and treats, and about two hours before each one is due, she starts the begging process, which involves meowing plaintively, and sticking her claws into my hands and feet. After supper…all it takes is going up the stairs for her to peel up ahead of you and scream for her bedtime treats…often my daughter gives in and gives them to her early…but it doesn’t stop her from begging for more! Bubbles is 11 years old, and I notice that she is starting to slow down a bit now that she’s hitting her senior years. Time for more pampering…
Bubbles
Bubbles is my oldest gal at the moment. She is an absolutely beautiful diluted calico with the clearest green eyes that look right into your soul. She is also the smallest of the group, but the shrewdest and wisest by far. She was the tiniest little kitten, about half the size of her brothers and sisters. One stroke of that baby soft fur was enough to capture my heart forever. It didn’t help that she snuggled right up to my two-year-old daughter at the time as well without using her claws once. The one thing about her is her absolute affinity for food…she is a fiend for her food and treats, and about two hours before each one is due, she starts the begging process, which involves meowing plaintively, and sticking her claws into my hands and feet. After supper…all it takes is going up the stairs for her to peel up ahead of you and scream for her bedtime treats…often my daughter gives in and gives them to her early…but it doesn’t stop her from begging for more! Bubbles is 8 years old, and I notice that she is starting to slow down a bit now that she’s hitting her middle ages. Time for more pampering…
Miesha
Miesha is a rather skittish tortoiseshell, the middle age 9-year-old of the cat siblings. My heart flipped for her the first time I saw that scrappy little face. I had just let my oldest cat go and my other cat was miserable and lonely, so along came little Miesha! She was so tiny, the vet estimated she was four weeks or less when I picked her up. She suckled the bathmat until it was sopping wet. But the little gal came along quite well and looks up to Bubbles as a big sister. She is scared of about everything though, if you can’t find her just look under my bed and you’ll see her big green eyes staring out at you. She is the most vocal cat I have every had, you just have to look at her and she is talking to you. And about the most loving and cuddly cat I have ever had.
Whiskers
Whiskers is a giant ragdoll who always has a glint of mischief in his eye. Despite his size he is able to move rather quickly surprisingly enough (mostly away from my now 13-year-old daughter when she’s trying to catch him). He thunders through the house yowling the whole time. There isn’t a pen or puzzle that’s safe from his mischievous ways. You can’t wear black in our house as it will look like you rolled in his bed by the time you leave. He loves, loves, loves the dogs and would like to play with the other cats but they get a bit stand offish given his large size. He’s 7 years old now, and still like a giant kitten. This cat came home for my daughter, as the other two weren’t as snuggly as she would like so I thought a ragdoll sounds perfect. He loves my daughter and lets her carry him all over the house like a baby (after she catches him that is!).
Whiskers
Whiskers is a giant ragdoll who always has a glint of mischief in his eye. Despite his size he is able to move rather quickly surprisingly enough (mostly to my now 11-year-old daughter when she’s trying to catch him). He thunders through the house yowling the whole time. There isn’t a pen or puzzle that’s safe from his mischievous ways. You can’t wear black in our house as it will look like you rolled in his bed by the time you leave. He loves, loves, loves the dogs and would like to play with the other cats but they get a bit stand offish given his large size. He’s four years old now, and still like a giant kitten. This cat came home for my daughter, as the other two weren’t as snuggly as she would like so I thought a ragdoll sounds perfect. He loves my daughter and lets her carry him all over the house like a baby.
Honorary Mention: Hamish
Hamish is our old neighbour’s cat who moved away but still comes to stay for a visit on occasion! I watched him for a couple weeks when the neighbours went away, and he came over for a visit every day for that period. After that, he would come to tap on the back door at least once or twice a day, come in and have a snack then play with the dogs and rip around the basement with Whiskers! He would also sit on my daughter’s shoulders while she was trying to be in school during lockdown!
Gizmo
Giz was the first cat I had on my own after going to university. This was my boy. He didn’t like anyone else in the world. He was a crazy kitten, highly active at night and liked to attack anyone who wasn’t me when they were least expecting it. By the end of it, he had no teeth and no claws, and still scared people (like my stepdad who wouldn’t move him out of the sink to wash his hands because he was hissing and growling at him). He would fetch until you couldn’t throw the ball/arrow/toy anymore. He left me due to cancer. I think he was sick for quite some time, as I could tell he wasn’t feeling well a couple years before. But it was like he knew I needed him as I was going through a divorce and just setting out on my own for the very first time ever. He waited until he thought I was ready to be ok on my own. A loyal companion to the end.
Gizmo
Giz was the first cat I had on my own after going to university. This was my boy. He didn’t like anyone else in the world. He was a crazy kitten, highly active at night and liked to attack anyone who wasn’t me when they were least expecting it. By the end of it, he had no teeth and no claws, and still scared people (like my stepdad who wouldn’t move him out of the sink to wash his hands because he was hissing and growling at him). He would fetch until you couldn’t throw the ball/arrow/toy anymore. He left me due to cancer. I think he was sick for quite some time, as I could tell he wasn’t feeling well a couple years before. But it was like he knew I needed him as I was going through a divorce and just setting out on my own for the very first time ever. He waited until he thought I was ready to be ok on my own. A loyal companion to the end.
Chester
Now Chester was a character. He was the littlest beat-up little stray at the shelter, with his claws broken, his whiskers broken off and bent and dirt encrusted in his ears. You could feel all the bones in his little body, and I knew he was the one I needed to have. He was a funny little cat. After coming home, he gorged himself to the point his belly would hang over his toes as he sat up over the arm of a chair. He loved to talk. And purr. He loved the blow dryer and would come to get ready with me every morning. It was very scary for me when he developed diabetes, but with proper diet and daily insulin shots he lived many more years with us. I think his heart was broken after Gizmo went to the rainbow bridge, and he followed a mere 15 days later leaving a massive hole in my heart.
Nemo
Sweet baby boy Nemo. I decided that I absolutely had to have a pug. And it had to be a black pug. Along came Nemo! He was so tiny when he came home, his head was too heavy for his body and he would tip over headfirst into his food bowl to eat! He was the sweetest little boy, with that snuffly little face (that required constant cleaning due to the folds). He would eat his kibble one at a time…bringing it from his bowl to the living room, taking hours to eat a full bowl of food. And if a dog came on the tv, the little man was at his most ferocious protecting his home. But as we all know, pugs are prone to multitudes of health problems, and Nemo was no exception. He passed on in his sleep at a young age for a small dog, but that funny little face and his huge heart will forever be in mine.
Nemo
Sweet baby boy Nemo. I decided that I absolutely had to have a pug. And it had to be a black pug. Along came Nemo! He was so tiny when he came home, his head was too heavy for his body and he would tip over headfirst into his food bowl to eat! He was the sweetest little boy, with that snuffly little face (that required constant cleaning due to the folds). He would eat his kibble one at a time…bringing it from his bowl to the living room, taking hours to eat a full bowl of food. And if a dog came on the tv, the little man was at his most ferocious protecting his home. But as we all know, pugs are prone to multitudes of health problems, and Nemo was no exception. He passed on in his sleep at a young age for a small dog, but that funny little face and his huge heart will forever be in mine.